Worth Dying For
by LokasennaHiddleston
Summary: After being killed by Thanos, Loki learns that his claim at being Odinson is not as accepted as he thought. Rejected from the halls of Valhalla, he is left a wandering spirit. But he still has one thing left, one last bond. A bond and a love worth dying for. His bond with Thor. And as long as any part of him still exists, he will not leave Thor to suffer and face the titan alone.


Loki has to admit that going against the Mad Titan with nothing but a dagger may not have been his brightest moment. Indeed, he does not know what he was thinking when he tried it. But try it he did, and now, here he is, seconds away from his demise.

He faces Thor as the titan squeezes the life out of him. A part of him wants to smile, because he knows they will soon be reunited in Valhalla. Yes, they will be together again soon, him, Thor, and their mother. Maybe even Odin. As conflicted as Loki remains about his adopted father, in his heart, he has never truly forsaken the legacy of Odinson.

Of course, he should have known things would not go well for him.

He doesn't register the crack, of course, but it must have happened, because one moment, he is being dangled in the titan's unbreakable hold, and the next, he is in front of the golden gates of Valhalla.

He stares at his own hands in disbelief. Dying should have shocked him more, but he's come so close so many times these past years. The titan and Thor may have deemed it all pretense, but the injury from Svartalfheim nearly claimed his life. It was only his Frost Giant nature that saved him, managing to contain the poison in Kurse's blood long enough for his seidr to kick in. He still nursed the wound for months after he took the throne from the ailing All-Father, not that anyone realized it at the time.

Of course, there will be no coming back from this. He is well and truly dead.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Loki starts to walk forward, intending to go through the gates. That's when the worst possible thing that could happen happens.

Heimdall manifests in front of him.

"That's as far as you go, trickster."

Loki stares at the Gatekeeper in disbelief. Even after the destruction of Asgard, they never really mended broken bridges—hah, broken bridges—but still, they fought together side by side against Thanos. This response to his presence in Valhalla seems rather extreme. "I'm sorry?"

"You don't belong in Valhalla. You are not Asgardian."

Loki's breath catches. He would be more amused that it is even possible for him to have a breath while he's dead, but he's too busy being appalled by this development to care about such trivialities. "I am Asgardian at heart, in every way that matters," he replies. "I died as an Asgardian. That's why I appeared here. You have no right to keep me from Valhalla."

"I do not, no, but there is someone else who does. He is the one who denies you."

There is only one person who has the power to keep Loki from Valhalla. It appears that even now, even when, with his last words, Loki claimed he was Odinson, he has been proven wrong.

"Is that right? Let him tell me that to my face then."

The Gatekeeper stares at him unblinkingly. His eyes no longer hold the powers of the Ancestors, but he still seems to see right through Loki and find him just as lacking as always.

"You are not entitled to make that request."

This is not possible. Surely even Odin, even Heimdall, would not be so cruel. Why would they even deny him the afterlife?

"You and I may have had had our differences in the past, but like you, I died an honorable death," Loki tells him. "Surely you must see that."

"You deliberately threw yourself at the titan so that you could come here. That is not honor. It is cowardice."

Loki does not even know what to say to that. Hilariously, that particular idea did not occur to him at the time of his battle with Thanos. He may be losing his touch. He supposes there is a chance that subconsciously, he did have that realization, but still, it is not the reason that made him pull out the dagger that day.

"Heimdall, I did it..."

"You did it for yourself," the Gatekeeper cuts him off. "And it was your own actions that drew Thanos to us. You are not welcome here."

"Can I at least see my mother?" Loki asks between gritted teeth. "I never got to say goodbye."

"And whose fault was that?" the Gatekeeper asks tauntingly. "Leave."

It is not a request. In fact, he doesn't even wait for Loki to comply. A sword similar to Hofund manifests in his hand. He lunges at Loki, much like he once did on the Bifrost.

Loki does not try to fight back or avoid the attack. What is the point?

When the sword goes through him, he doesn't feel any pain. Instead, he dissipates like smoke in the wind. The advantages of not having a physical body, he supposes.

After that, Loki's spirit drifts away. Denied Valhalla, he floats between worlds, a wraith forever trapped in limbo. It's like being in the void all over again, only so much worse.

Is Heimdall right? Is Loki truly the one to blame for his people being slaughtered by Thanos?

Loki isn't certain. Technically, there is no way for anyone to track down any of the stones unless a. the person has a general idea where it is or b. the artifacts in question are used in some way. This is the reason why Loki even dared to take the Tesseract from the vault to begin with. For example, Thanos never truly realized the Tesseract was on Earth to begin with until the mortals started to poke at it.

Loki never used the Space Stone, even when he needed to escape Asgard, precisely because he feared it would draw Thanos's eye to them. But Thanos must have guessed Loki would take the Tesseract anyway, or alternately, pursued the last known hint about the location of the Space Stone. The titan is nothing if not resourceful, and the destruction of Asgard was quite eye-catching.

"There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you," the Other once told Loki. Apparently, he was completely correct.

Does it truly matter now? He is dead, lost in between realms, and he can no longer fix any of his mistakes.

Or... Can he?

There is still something of his old stubbornness left, something that doesn't let him give him up completely. A strange power, both alien and not tugs at him. It makes him snap out of his trance and detect the call he should have heard from the beginning. It's like a soundless scream, and the more Loki focuses on it, the clearer and louder it becomes.

The source is, of course, Thor. His brother's mind is a whirlwind of grief and guilt, of "I should have protected him", of "I failed", of "I have nothing left". Echoes of "Loki, no!" flash between them, like distant recollections from the time Loki let go of the spear while dangling over the Bifrost.

This time, it almost seems like Thor is the one dangling over an abyss. Loki may be dead, but Thor is far more desperate than him. It should be impossible, given the reality of the rejection Loki has just faced, but there it is.

Loki refuses to leave Thor alone and starts forcing his magic to obey him. It is difficult at first, but an unseen force seems to guide him, because he succeeds. His shattered soul—so crushed in the wake of his meeting with Heimdall—regains its strength, and he pursues the call he still hears so very clearly.

He finds his brother on Nidavellir, struggling to ignite the forges, forced to face the full heat of the heart of a dying star. Distantly, Loki notes that Thor has procured an artificial eye from somewhere. Not that it matters under the circumstances.

There is little Loki can do to protect or help his brother when he is naught but a wraith, but he lingers on, holding onto Thor like only a ghost could. He doesn't know if Thor can feel him. Probably not. Still, he presses his lips to Thor's bruised temple in a way he never really dared to in life. "You can do this, brother. You can. I believe in you."

And Thor does it. He holds the mechanism open long enough for Eitri to start working on whatever weapon they are trying to craft. Probably a replacement for Mjolnir, something meant to help Thor fight Thanos.

Of course, not even the God of Thunder can come out unscathed from an experience like that. Spent, Thor loses his hold on the mechanism and falls, hitting a metal railing hard as he goes down.

A small ship makes its way to Thor's motionless form even as Loki kneels next to his brother, trying to make sure Thor doesn't die. The occupants turn out to be two creatures, a talking raccoon and a young Flora Collosus.

"I think he's not breathing," the raccoon says.

"The axe!" Eitri bellows. "He needs the axe. Where is the handle?"

The dwarf stumbles heavily through his forge, presumably looking for the handle. He is much too slow, so the tree takes the matter into its own branches. He uses himself to craft a handle for the axe and places the weapon in Thor's outstretched hand.

Eitri is right in that normally, that would have worked. But Thor is so tired, so grieved. He doesn't truly want to continue living.

His soul starts to leave his body.

It's only for a moment, but Thor's astral form hovers between life and death. His gaze meets Loki's. "Loki?" he whispers.

Loki smiles at his brother. "It's not your time yet, brother." And he pushes Thor back.

On the ground, Thor's hand grips the handle of the new weapon. He takes a deep breath and his eyes snap open. He's alive.

Obviously, there's much rejoicing at Thor's recovery. Thor doesn't seem to remember having seen Loki, but that's all right. This is familiar territory. Loki has spent centuries aiding Thor from the shadows. Maybe that's what he's supposed to do now.

Of course, the success of this part of the mission doesn't change the fact that the worst is yet to come. Thor uses his new axe, Stormbreaker, to transport himself and his two companions to Earth.

Naturally, Loki follows.

In hindsight, it's not surprising that they land in a warzone. Thanos's forces have clearly reached Earth and the mortals have mounted a powerful defense. But as strong as the Avengers and their friends are, it's highly unlikely that they will be able to stand against the might of Thanos.

Loki has been at war many times, and no matter what Sif and the Idiots Three said, he's never shied away from battle. He certainly never took as much pleasure in it as Thor or Sif, but that would have been impossible. Either way, looking around, he knows this is a battle that will not end in victory for Earth.

Thor's arrival does make a difference. Stormbreaker is far more powerful than Mjolnir ever was, and Thor takes out all his pent-up rage and aggression on Thanos's forces. There is nothing Loki would like more than to jump into the fray with his brother, but he cannot.

In fact, he is useless here, and the more he hovers around, the more confused and nauseated he begins to get. People keep dying and he keep seeing their astral forms—their souls—depart. Many of them linger, offering quiet support to the fighters still alive. Loki doesn't know who these black-skinned warriors are, but they seem to have strong bonds of fellowship that work like a form of symbiosis.

They don't seem to see him, or each other, for that matter, which is perhaps for the best. The whole scene is so chaotic Loki feels like he's falling apart at the seams.

That's when he senses it—a new presence, the dreadful weight of the most powerful creature in the entire universe. Even the astral realm Loki now inhabits seems to shake in fear at his arrival.

Loki should have shied away from the thing that killed him. But he cannot help Thor here. He may as well see if he can do something about the titan.

He finds the creature fighting a group of Avengers who are futilely trying to hold him at bay. They are so outmatched it's laughable. Indeed, they are only insects for the titan, so much so that he doesn't even bother to kill them. He just shoves them out of his way and walks past their unconscious forms like their existence is negligible—something that is probably true.

A quick look around tells Loki the real reason why Thanos is here. It would appear he is after the Avenger who carries the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead, the Vision.

The witch whose powers were born out of the Mind Stone makes a valiant effort to destroy her own lover. She doesn't quite have enough magic. Her abilities are formidable, but still, she's only a mortal. Destroying the stone—as they seem to intend—is not that simple.

Loki doesn't know if he can help, but he decides he must try. Distracting her at such a critical moment would be bad, but if he doesn't make the attempt, she doesn't have a chance anyway.

He manifests behind the witch, unseen by both her and Thanos, and presses his hands to her straining shoulders. It works. His seidr connects to her magic, and the blast of her powers intensifies. Fortunately, she seems oblivious to his intervention, and she pours everything she has—and everything Loki gives her—into her fight.

Between her and Loki, they manage to focus on both destroying the Mind Stone, and holding the approaching titan at bay.

For a little while, it seems like their efforts will bear fruit. With a soundless gasp, the Vision explodes, much to the grief of the witch. But even as the witch collapses on the ground, mourning her lost love, the titan doesn't seem angry or put out at their actions.

"I understand, my child," he tells her in an almost parental way, "better than anyone."

And then he points the gauntlet at the place where the Vision had been. Just like that, the android reforms. "No!" the witch cries, clearly realizing the ramifications of the situation.

Neither she nor Loki get the chance to do anything about it. The Titan pins the android down and brutally pulls the gem out of Vision's skull. The android collapses, well and truly dead. Loki wonders where his soul has gone, because he cannot see it.

With an almost maddened smirk, the Titan adds the gem to the Gauntlet. It's the last one he needed, and he glows with power as the Infinity Gauntlet is finally complete.

He thinks he has won. He is almost right, but at the same time, so very wrong.

Through his connection to his brother, Loki calls out. Thor may not know the reason, but he feels something is wrong, and he comes. His axe strikes the titan in the chest, bypassing his armor despite the protection of the stones.

Thor is brutal and vicious in his anger, and his attack takes Thanos by surprise. It's not a decisive blow, but it is enough for Loki to act.

Loki is unique in that, in one way or another, he has wielded or come in contact with half the Infinity Stones. During his original trip to Earth, he had both the Mind Stone and the Space Stone in his power. After the Dark Elf attack, he was the one to contain the Aether and give it to the Collector for safekeeping—not that it worked. He never came into contact with the Power Stone, but he is a soul and thus has a natural affinity for the Soul Stone. Normally, the gem in question would attempt to consume him, but he is a powerful sorcerer and he knows how to avoid that.

Finally, there is the Time Stone. He never touched that one either, but he did meet its guardian. The mortal sorcerer may not have liked him, but he clearly realized that when up against a creature like Thanos, beggars couldn't be choosers. It's almost humiliating to realize that the power that helped him reform himself in the astral plane was Stephen Strange, but at this point, Loki cannot care less.

The completed Gauntlet, through the Soul Stone, beckons to him, and Loki knows what he must do.

Thor and the titan are still fighting, and the titan seems to be losing. Except for one little thing. While the titan is wounded, he does still have the Gauntlet, which is in the end, what matters.

"You should have aimed for the head," the titan mumbles—and snaps his fingers.

It is too late. Loki knows and senses his desire, but that desire will never be accomplished.

He holds the Soul Stone aloft, cradling it in his palm. Now separated from the Gauntlet, the gem shines a bright orange that almost seems to burn Loki from the inside out.

"Misplaced something, have we?" he asks, tauntingly.

Both Thor and the titan turn to look at him. Loki flips the gem between his translucent digits, smirking. "I told you you'd never be a god."

"Loki?" Thor asks. His voice is breathless with desperate hope, and he is so taken aback by Loki's presence that he loses his hold on Thanos entirely.

While wounded, the titan blindly tries to make a grab for Loki. Loki is not so easy to catch, not this time. He dissipates, taking the Soul Stone with him.

The titan bellows in rage. It is the sweetest sound Loki has ever heard. Yes, let him be angry. He deserves that and so much more. He deserves to feel all the pain and suffering he has inflicted on countless of planets, for the sake of his own arrogance and insanity.

As he materializes again, he flicks his fingers. The Mind Stone snaps out of the Gauntlet. So treacherous, this one. Its insidious powers still frighten him. And yet, paradoxically, he feels no fear when the stone lands in his hand.

He senses the same power he once wielded through the scepter, but it is no longer tethered to the Other, and he himself is freed from the trappings of a body that has been through far too much. He is not afraid of it, not anymore, and it seems to feel it, because for the most part, it remains placid.

"Loki!" The titan shouts, a wave of concussive force exploding around him. Trees collapse around them, uprooted by the incredible power. Whatever wounds Thor gave him seem irrelevant now. Thanos has turned into an almost unstoppable force of destruction. The key word being... almost.

Thor and the witch manage to grab their unconscious Avenger friends and get them out of the line of fire. Meanwhile, Loki decides to speed things along.

The Space Stone comes without protest. It is not self-aware like some of the others, but its magic does recognize Loki's in the same way many powerful artifacts do, so he has no trouble controlling it. The Time Stone soon follows, not because of Loki himself, but because of the instructions of its true master.

The Aether is the equivalent of a recalcitrant child. It remembers Loki too, and it does not want to be contained again. Predictably, both it and the Power Gem remain in the Gauntlet. But Loki is not worried.

The thing about the gems is that they do offer protection against any type of threat to the user. But even the gems have their limits, and there are some things the Aether cannot protect Thanos from. Loki has circumvented the Aether's unique nature once before. He can do it again.

With that in mind, he focuses on the very first stone he has collected. The Soul Stone responds. It is a dangerous, greedy thing, and it hungers for souls. For this reason, the Stone should perhaps crave belonging to Thanos.

But the gem is angry. It feels... thwarted.

To acquire it, the gem explains, the titan needed to sacrifice what he loved most. That is the way the trap around the Soul Stone was set, so that no one can ever get to it. It was a trick, because as a rule, the people who sought to use the Infinity Stones were far too caught in their dreams of power to experience love.

Somehow, the titan has circumvented that. He did appear to truly love the daughter he sacrificed, but he killed her anyway in order to get to the Stone. But the Stone feels that maybe, if that love had been real, the sacrifice should have never happened.

It is a lie, and the Stone doesn't like to be lied to. "Give me his soul," it whispers to Loki.

Loki does not hesitate. He points the gem in Thanos's general direction and pulls. The Titan falls to the ground, dead, his soul absorbed into the stone he so coveted. The Gauntlet with the Aether and the Power Stone can do nothing to protect him.

It is almost anticlimactic. After everything his creature has done, he should have perhaps died in a different way, suffered more. But maybe the Soul Stone will take care of that, keeping him trapped inside it forever. That's a nice thought. He wonders if he can somehow convince the Stone to ensure Thanos's never-ending torment.

Loki doesn't get the chance to muse over his potential experimentation with the Soul Stone. Thor returns in a flurry, landing by his side with such force the ground shakes.

"What happened?" he asks, his eyes wild and alive with lightning.

"I pulled his soul into the stone," Loki explains. "Calm down. He's gone."

"That's not what I meant! I thought you dead!"

As he speaks, Thor rushes toward Loki. For a few seconds, Loki thinks his brother intends to attack him, but of course, that is not the case. Thor merely wants to give him a hug.

In this, he fails, and he falls straight through Loki's ethereal form.

He is not impressed with this development. "Now is hardly the time for such tricks, Loki!" he bellows, torn between grief and fury.

"It's not a trick, not this time, Thor," Loki explains softly. Naturally, he understands why Thor would think Loki has once again pretended to die, so he is not offended at the accusation. Instead, he aches at the sight of Thor's pain. Unfortunately, it is not something that can be prevented. "This isn't an illusion. I am, for lack of a better word, a ghost."

All the color drains out of Thor's face. "A ghost? Not... Not possible."

Loki knows what Thor is thinking. Those who die of old age and disease go to the realm of Hel, but the dishonored dead do not even get that. Only they can be ghosts. Loki died in combat, protecting his people. There is no way he should have become a restless, wandering spirit.

Looking at his brother's face, Loki doesn't have the heart to burden Thor with the truth now. "Because of certain circumstances," he says instead, "and because of my connection to you, I lingered on in an attempt to help. I did promise you that the sun would rise over us again, did I not?"

Thor's eyes fill with tears. "I did see you in Nidavellir, didn't I? I thought... I thought I had imagined it."

"No, I was there. Oaf. You nearly got yourself killed. Where would you be without me?"

"Where indeed, brother," Thor says shakily. "Where indeed. Oh, Loki. I am so very sorry."

"It is all well, Thor. You need not apologize. Not for this, at least."

They have plenty of things they can accuse each other of, but Thanos is not either of their faults. Despite Heimdall's accusations, Thor does not seem to blame Loki for the destruction of The Statesman, so he must realize this too.

As they speak, the Avengers finally dare to approach. "Uh. So this is your brother, huh, big man?" the raccoon creature asks, scratching his head.

"Yes, rabbit, this is he," Thor replies with a shaky smile. "This is Loki."

"Nice to meet ya," the raccoon says. "I'm Rocket and this is Groot." The Flora Collosus waves at Loki upon being introduced.

"It is a pleasure. I appreciate the assistance you've given my brother when I could not. Asgard owes you a great debt."

"Oh, I like this one too," Rocket says. "Shame that he's dead."

"It may not be too late," the witch pipes up as she too approaches them. "The Gauntlet... It can be used to bring people back." She fidgets, her gaze going to the Mind Gem still in Loki's grip. "Thanos brought Vision back before."

"I'm aware," Loki tells her. "But the Gauntlet was made for him and wielding it is a feat of great strength and mental discipline. For obvious reasons, I cannot do it."

Thor sets his jaw in a determined jut. "You may not be able to, brother, but I am," he says.

Loki isn't sure this is a good idea. The Gauntlet is a powerful weapon, and while Thor is definitely capable of carrying the burden that comes with it, wielding the Gauntlet doesn't come without a cost. "Thor... It is too..."

"No. I refuse to lose you again. Show me what to do, Loki, and I will."

Loki sighs. He has always been horrible at refusing Thor, and that tendency has become even worse since their reconciliation after Asgard's destruction. "All right. We will try. But we must be careful. I don't want you blowing your idiotic head off."

"I will be just fine. How could I not be, with you by my side? We've done far stranger and crazier things together."

Loki can hardly argue with that. After all, they did blow up their own planet in order to stop the rise of their insane sister. Loki is still a little shocked that Thor came up with that idea to begin with.

But these past years have left their mark on Thor. He is truly a king now. Despite his tempestuous temperament, he will be able to wield the Gauntlet. Besides, not all the Stones are needed to do what the witch said. Thor will be fine. Loki will make sure of it.

Thor is already retrieving the Gauntlet from the fallen titan and putting it on. His breath catches slightly as he feels the power of the two gems already inside, but he handles it well.

Thor's replacement eye pops out of its socket and a new one—real—grows back. Thor doesn't let out a sound, although he must surely be feeling discomfort.

"Well that's unappreciative," the raccoon creature grumbles.

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers and the rest of his companions finally make their appearance. They do not attempt to interfere, although several of them look distinctly wary.

"Is this safe?" Natasha Romanov asks.

Loki chuckles. "Of course it is not safe. But at this point, dear widow, my sole interest is keeping Thor alive, so you need not fret overmuch."

They don't protest further. If they remember that Loki repeatedly attacked Thor in the past, they make no note of it. He isn't sure how much of his intervention they witnessed, but it was enough that they must realize he is on their side and possibly the only reason why they are still alive.

It's strange to receive even this small degree of trust from the mortals he has wronged—forced by Thanos though he may have been—after being turned away from Valhalla, but it's nice. Maybe there is a reason why Thor likes his mortals so much.

Well, for the moment their presence is only a side-issue. Thor is the only one who counts, and it is on him that Loki focuses.

Loki lets his hand hover over his brother's chest and lets his seidr reach for Thor. It is so easy to connect to Thor like this. The two of them were always drawn together, no matter how much they tried to be apart. Thor was always the light to Loki's dark, and as much as Loki claimed he hated living in his brother's shadow, the truth is nothing can exist without a shadow. Thor is no different.

Through his magic, Loki conveys to Thor all of his knowledge of the stones. Technically, it is Thanos's knowledge, but Loki now has access to it, since Thanos's soul is trapped in the Soul Stone. Thor grunts slightly as the unfamiliar thoughts drift into his head, but he makes no attempt to pull away.

It takes a few moments for him to process the information Loki has given him, but he is nothing if not determined. As soon as he has an understanding of the Stones, Thor looks straight at Loki and flicks his fingers.

A burst of energy explodes from the Gauntlet, and just like that, Loki regains physical form. It's not even all that difficult. One moment, he's still just a soul, and the next, he has his body back.

Of course, it would have been a lot tougher if Loki's soul were not already present. Technically, the only thing Thor had to do was recreate Loki's body using the imprint left behind in his soul, and that was not so difficult using the Aether and the Power Stone.

The technicalities don't matter, not anymore. What matters is that he is back, and Thor is right there, within touching distance, battered and bruised, but alive and out of the titan's reach.

Thor must be having similar thoughts, because he lets out a small, wounded sob and makes a grab for Loki. This time, Loki's form is solid and Thor is successful. He takes advantage of Loki's new physical state to pull him close and crush their mouths together.

In all the time Loki and Thor spent side by side, they never kissed, not like this. Loki was always aware of his physical attraction toward his brother, but he never pursued it in any way. He always considered it one of the most shameful aspects of his character, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully suppress it.

He is so surprised that Thor seems to reciprocate his feelings that for a few seconds, he doesn't respond.

The hesitation doesn't last. Thor is so familiar, the crackle of his lightning like a caress on Loki's skin, and after everything they have been through, labels and ancient doubts are irrelevant. Loki pulls Thor closer, buries his hands in Thor's short hair and kisses Thor back.

 _"You were wrong, Heimdall,"_ he mentally tells the Gatekeeper. _"This is why I threw myself at the titan."_

It was about Thor. It was always about Thor. If Loki pulled the dagger out that day, it was merely because he wanted to make one last attempt at saving the most important person in his life, no matter how unlikely the chance of success was. In the end, if Thor was killed, Loki would have had nothing left anyway, so the risk of imminent death hadn't mattered that much.

He doesn't know if the Gatekeeper can hear him, but at this point, Heimdall's opinion of him is of no consequence. He finally has the one thing that he always wanted, Thor's love and acceptance.

That alone is more than worth dying for.

They don't have time for drawn out make out sessions or love confessions. Both of them are still very aware of the presence of the other Avengers and of the fact that Thanos's forces are still attacking the mortal resistance. Thor breaks the kiss, and when he looks at Loki, his smile is like the sun on a cloudless day.

"Come, brother. There is much to do still. We will speak on this later. For now, we need to help our friends."

The mortals are hardly Loki's friends, but he may as well help them anyway. "Lead the way, Thor."

After all, wherever Thor has led, Loki has always followed, and this time, it will be no different.


End file.
